doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a(1)

: a pretty but often empty-headed young woman

(2)

: woman

b

: darling, sweetheart

c

: an attractive person

dollish

ˈdä-lish 

ˈdȯ-

adjective

dollishly adverb

dollishness noun

Synonyms of doll

• dolly
• puppet

Examples of doll in a Sentence

My aunt collects porcelain dolls.

there was a row of dolls along the shelf in the bedroom

Recent Examples on the Web

Richard Gadd’s Baby Reindeer was an inescapable phenomenon, a Russian-doll-like unfurling of narrative and character that captured how trauma trails us through all phases of our lives. —Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026

Inside, Sophie loves to play with her baby dolls and stuffed animals. —Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 23 Apr. 2026

For a slower start, slide into a table at Cucharita, where bright Lele dolls sway from the ceiling and good luck sheep line up by the cash register. —Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026

For Panaro's home, Bruno’s interior design strategy—which took inspiration from Russian nesting dolls—wasn’t just about optimizing square footage. —Ludovica Stevan, Architectural Digest, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably from Doll, nickname for Dorothy

First Known Use

1693, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing doll

• Barbie doll
• bobblehead doll
• doll's house
• doll up
• rag doll

Rhymes for doll

• ahl
• all
• aul
• bawl
• brawl
• call
• caul
• crawl
• dol
• drawl
• fall
• gall

Kids Definition

doll

noun

ˈdäl 

ˈdȯl

1

: a small figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything

2

a

: a pretty young woman

b

: an attractive person